1. Field of the Invention
The inventive device disclosed in the present application generally relates to portable LED lighting and, more specifically, to a portable LED lighting assembly adapted for attachment to a child's stroller such as to allow both the child and the parent will be highly visible within their surroundings at night.
2. Description of the Related Art
Infant carriages or strollers have been around since the early eighteens century as a means for carrying and transporting small children. These wheeled devices are generally divided into ‘baby carriages’ (North American English) or ‘Prams/carrycots’ (British English) which are used for newborn babies in which the infant normally lies down facing the pusher and ‘strollers’ (North American English) or ‘Push chairs/buggies’ (British English), which are used for the small child up to about three years old in a sitting position facing forward. In the United States, “stroller” refers to the open, folding transport, whereas “buggy” refers to the larger, covered transport.
Since the 1980s, the stroller industry has developed with new features, safer construction and more accessories. However, when one desires to use such devices at night or in low visibility conditions, choices of commercially available safety equipment are limited to the use of a general purpose flashlight or other lighting devices designed for other activities such as jogging or fishing.
Some methods and devices are known that incorporate various LED lighting mechanisms are known. For example:
LED lights are well known in the art. For example, U.S. Published Patent Application No. 20120300439 by Davis and Tena discloses lighting systems for strollers enabling the users to integrate straight forward and modular lighting elements with eco-friendly practices to produce helpful and useful products whose functionality dictates safety levels consistent with statutory schemes for other wheeled vehicles, assuring visibility to both pedestrians and other Street traffic.
In addition to that, U.S. Pat. No. 8,025,433 to Comrada discloses and claims a stroller light that can be easily attached to any standard baby stroller. The stroller light described in the Comrada patent is comprised of a hollow housing that holds a battery pack, electric circuit, and on-off switch. A plurality of LEDs are mounted through apertures on the front and sides of the housing and can sequentially turn on and off. A hollow flag pole can be attached to the housing and wires run from the housing, through the flag pole interior to an electroluminescent wire that is sewn onto the perimeter of the flag and to an amiable light that can be used to help navigate during the evening hours.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,215,808 to Daley and Thorne also discloses and claims a lighting system for a stroller including: a power generation system coupled to at least one wheel of the stroller; a power source operationally coupled to the power generation system and configured to receive and store power generated by the power generation system. under the teaching of the Daley and Throne patent at least one first light source coupled to at least one leg of the stroller and configured to be powered by the power source; and at least one second light source coupled to a central hub of the stroller and configured to be powered by the power source.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,356,824 to Manweiler and Coon discloses a stroller illumination system that includes a stroller frame and a child receiving member that is mounted on the stroller frame. The Manweiler and Coon stroller frame includes a plurality of legs and a handle grip. Each of the legs has at least one of a plurality of wheels rotatably coupled thereto. A light emitting assembly is mounted on the frame. The light emitting assembly emits light when turned on to increase a visibility of the stroller frame.
Finally, U.S. Published Patent Application No. 20090244916 to Conwell and Conwell discloses a safety light having an easily recognizable and illumination pattern. The safety light consists of a housing containing at least one group of secondary lighting elements arranged substantially around a primary lighting element. The lighting elements are covered by a translucent face having a central portion overlying the primary lighting element. Circuit means power the lighting elements such that the secondary lighting elements are illuminated in a rotating, flickering or pulsing sequence producing a distinct light pattern. The safety light is suitable for use in a wide variety of applications, including vehicles and recreational and service activities.
Despite all the efforts listed above prior art patents describe structures that are either not truly convenient or else involve complicated, expensive, and overly difficult assembly and/or disassembly parts and procedures. Consequently, a need has been felt for providing an safety lighting apparatus that can be quickly, easily and repeatedly attached to a pushing handle of a stroller or like device that provides bright, directed illumination of both the path ahead and to detect the user themself.